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Ange: Socceroos coach should be Aussie

Ange Postecoglou has 'no doubt' an Australian would coach the Socceroos with more vigour and passion than an overseas manager.

Ange Postecoglou has 'no doubt' an Australian would coach the Socceroos with more vigour and passion than an overseas manager.

The Melbourne Victory mentor, and leading contender to replace sacked German Holger Osieck, argued that it was too easy for an overseas coach to manage the Socceroos with a short-term view and then return to Europe when their plan failed without facing reprisals.

"Sometimes with foreigners, they do their job and they leave and then that's the end of it," Postecoglou said on SEN radio.

"I think there's some sense in saying that if there's an Australian who's ready for it, then that would be the way to go.

"An Australian has to live in this country once he's finished the job."

Along with Graham Arnold, Postecoglou has set the benchmark for Australian coaching in recent years, with Tony Popovic adding to the mix last season.

The two-time A-League championship coach believes the embarrassing 6-0 defeats to Brazil and France could have been mitigated had the next generation of Socceroos been exposed to international football more often.

He used 25-year-old former Victory goalkeeper Mitch Langerak's performance against France as an example.

"Maybe he would have performed even better if he had five or six games under his belt," Postecoglou said of the 25-year-old.

"I've always had the view, particularly with young players, is you never really know whether they're up to it unless you throw them in there.

"I've never been let down by throwing in young players, when I think they're ready, into the mix, and it's no different at international level. That's probably an area we may have fallen behind, we just don't know.

"A lot of people are saying that the next generation [of Australian players] aren't good enough. Well, I'm not sure how you can form that view because I don't think there's been enough of it, to be honest."

Postecoglou also believes the 'drastic action' needed to turn the Socceroos around meant the new national boss could not afford to coach an A-League team at the same time.

"We've always got to remember our national team is a flag-bearer for our code. I reckon it's a pretty important job and one that needs total attention," he said.

"All our national teams go through these sorts of phases where there are tough times. Usually the best way to come out of it is to take a long-term view rather than a short-term view ... there's a general feeling throughout the sporting community that needs to be done with the Socceroos as well," he said.